


The Little Ledecky

by DylanTheDman



Category: Olympics RPF, Swimming RPF
Genre: 2016 Summer Olympics, Magical Realism, Male-Female Friendship, Other, Rituals, merfolk, michael phelps is a literal merman
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-31
Updated: 2016-08-31
Packaged: 2018-08-12 06:57:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7924966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DylanTheDman/pseuds/DylanTheDman
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katie Ledecky becomes a mermaid. Michael Phelps is a merman. This may be accurate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Little Ledecky

It wasn’t like Katie actually thought it would work but she’d give it a shot. Magic wasn’t recognized as cheating because no one believed in it. Katie didn’t believe either—or so she told herself. She was the one sitting in a bathtub full of water, salt, and torn up nori seaweed. That’s what the ritual called for anyway.

Katie had looked up “how to become a mermaid” out of boredom. Of course she still loved the Little Mermaid and it couldn’t hurt her swimming. The easiest one to do on a whim needed a bathtub, a cup of sea salt, a handful of seaweed, and a little incantation. After a run to the store Katie filled up the tub, dumped in the salt, and ripped up the sheet of nori(it was the closest to natural seaweed she could find). The grains of salt dug into her skin but Katie found it tolerable. She held her phone and repeated the spell quietly.

“Mermaids, please make me one of you. If I become one of you I want my tail the color of…” she paused for a moment, “Teal, and the power of speed. Please make my wish come true. So mote it be,” and then she sat.

Of course nothing was happening.

Katie felt stupid. Stupid that she was sitting in a tub of salt and edible seaweed. Stupid that she was disappointed that it wasn’t working. Logically she knew it wouldn’t work and felt very childish that she’d tried with actual hope in her heart. She splashed her feet in the water a little and grimaced at the nori stuck between her toes.

Katie Ledecky, swimmer, Olympian, failed mermaid.

Three days later, after practice with the US team, Katie snuck into the facility after dark for extra water-time. This was her first time creeping in after hours and she wasn’t timing herself. Katie was simply enjoying the feeling of being held by the water.

That was until she saw the scale.

At first she thought it was a sticker stuck to her leg. Then she saw another. And another.

Okay, there were a lot of them and Katie didn’t know where they came from. She swam frantically to the end of the pool to try to get them off. Obviously someone was trying to play a joke on her.

“What the hell?” Katie grumbled while hauling herself onto the deck. She lifted her legs out of the water to look at the blue-green semi-circles. When she brought up a hand to rub them off the strangest thing happened. They had feeling. She ran a hand over them again, experimental. They were smooth and shiny and they intrigued Katie. She nearly jumped out of her suit when she heard an amused voice.

“Getting in some laps?” Katie saw Michael when she whipped around out of surprise. Surprise, as well, caused her not to hide her new scales. The moment Michael spotted them his smile grew. Katie was wary; Michael was holding a towel around his waist and strolling to sit on the deck next to Katie.

“This your first time?” he asked as he pointed to the scales sprouting on Katie legs, more and more by the second. He then took her hand and turned it over, smiling, “Wow, it usually takes a long time for these to form.”

Katie spread her fingers to check out the transparent membrane between them.

“You know?” Katie asked dumbly because she didn’t even know herself. Michael smiled his crooked grin and laughed.

“Kind of obvious,” he referred to the scaly evidence all over Katie’s legs. He then stood up, said, “Plus, been there done that,” before throwing his towel down and launching off the side of the pool carelessly. Katie giggled at the flash of pale naked butt she got as Michael burst into the water. Katie kept giggling until Michael had been under the water for a worryingly long time then she scanned the surface.

“Michael?” she called and grinned when he emerged. He treaded over effortlessly and held up his palms for Katie.

“See?” he twiddled his fingers so the light caught on the matching membrane. If Katie thought that was amazing the shimmer on the water from an amber fin was dumb-founding.

“You’re a—“ Katie cut herself off in awe and Michael’s smile was a resounding yes. He got serious for a moment while nodding to Katie’s legs.

“That’s dangerous you know,” he informed. Katie’s legs were almost all scales now. “Turning with your suit on is really bad because your legs can’t join fully.” He said as a matter of fact. The obvious implication was to take the suit off. Michael spun around and covered his eyes with his hands.

“I promise I won’t look,” then he waited politely. Katie got to her feet gingerly and scrambled out of her suit as carefully as possible. Without anything to cover above the knee Katie’s scales were spreading up to her thighs and as high as her waist. Suddenly the tub ritual came back to Katie and she chose to celebrate the success by diving into the pool joyously. Almost immediately Katie felt a tingle as the skin of her inner thighs, knees, and calves fused. It sent as shiver down her spine.

“How’s it feel?” Michael asked while he bumped shoulders with Katie. The contact was friendly and Katie didn’t feel the need to edge away—they did suddenly have a lot in common anyway.

“It kind of tickles,” Katie answered and looked down. Her tail was fully formed now with a broad billowing fin. She gave a few testing flicks to get used to the feeling.

“It really is something special,” Michael said and Katie had to agree. She also had to ask something.

“How long have you been… a merman?” Katie turned to look at Michael.

“I was born like this,” he answered. In hindsight Katie couldn’t be surprised—if there was anyone in the world who she had to guess was an actual merman, it was Michael Phelps. It explained a lot really. “I thought I was the only one,” he shrugged and looked like he was thrilled to not be the sole merfolk in the sport anymore. “Now I have someone to teach about our culture.” Katie raised her brows because, wow. There was a whole culture? This just kept getting better.

“But first,” Michael back-pedaled, “I should teach you to control it—so you don’t out yourself at Rio.” He pointed down to the bottom of the pool then dove under. Katie got a glimpse of his tail, sparkling and yellow-amber, before it disappeared under the surface. He barely disturbed the glass-like quality of the water.

Katie couldn’t wait to crush her races.

(And she did. So much so that she thought to dial it back just a little after obliterating the 800 Freestyle.)

**Author's Note:**

> I firmly believe that if anyone were to be a real mer-person, it would be Michael Phelps, but, sadly, tis pure fiction. This was lots of fun to write. :)


End file.
